Pike County: History

Pike County was created from part of Monroe County in 1822. Georgia's 57th county and its county seat, Zebulon, were named for Zebulon Montgomery Pike. An expedition led by Pike in 1805 attempted (and failed) to trace the Mississippi River to its source. He discovered Pike's Peak on the same expedition.

In addition to Zebulon, Pike County has four incorporated municipalities, none of which exceeded 500 in population in 1990. These are Concord, Meansville, Molena, and Williamson.

Agriculture and forestry are still the main industries in Pike County, though the county is feeling the effects of Atlanta's growth. The county is one of Georgia's major peach producers.

The Pike County Courthouse, built in 1895, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Pike County has been the site for the filming of several motion pictures, including Murder In Coweta County, Cold Sassy Tree, and Tank.
The City of Concord hosts the Concord Jubilee, an arts and crafts festival, each fall and spring.

Pike County: Demographic Information

According to the 1990 Census, the population of Pike County was 10,224 persons. The county's population grew between 1980 and 1990 at a rate of 14.4%, compared with a state average growth rate during the period of 13.2%. The county's projected population for the year 2000 is 11,486 persons.

In Pike County, 79.4% of the residents were white and 20.1% were black, according to the 1990 Census. Hispanics, who may also be identified as either white or black in the Census data, constituted 0.5% of the county’s population. Statewide, 71% of residents were white, 27% were black and 1.7% were Hispanic.

In addition, 30.3% of the county’s residents were age 19 or younger, while 12.5% were age 65 or older. Statewide, 30% were age 19 or younger and 10% were age 65 or older.

In Pike County, the 1990 Census reports 4.3% of households were headed by females and had children under 18 years of age, compared with 8% statewide. Total households with children under 18 comprised 37.1% of all households in the county and 36% of those in the state.

The 1990 Census indicates that 38.8% of the adult population in Pike County had completed high school, which was greater than the state average of 29.6%. A total of 26.1% of the county’s population had at least some college level education compared with the 41.3% state average.

Between 1991 and 1995, an average of 6.6% of students in grades 8 to 12 dropped out of school each year in the county. Statewide, the average percentage of dropouts was 6.7% for the same time period.
Pike County spent an average of $3,233 per pupil for public education each year between 1990 and 1994. This expenditure was less than the statewide average of $4,002.

Between 1989 and 1993, the infant mortality rate (infant deaths per 1,000 live births) was 6.8 for the county. The statewide rate was 11.3 during the same period.

In 1992, the number of physicians in the county per 1,000 population was 0.1, compared with the 0.8 state average. Pike County had 0 hospital beds per 1,000 population in 1994, which was less than the statewide average of 3.6 beds per 1,000 population.

According to the 1990 Census, 74.9% of the housing units in the county were owner occupied. The median value of these units was $51,600. Across the state, 76% of housing units were owner occupied, with a median value of $70,700.

Between 1990 and 1994, the county’s index crime rate (crimes per 100,000 population) was 1,242. Statewide, when moving from the highest index crime rate to the lowest, Pike County ranked number 136. Of this five year average, 8.5% were violent crimes, while 91.5% were non-violent crimes.

In 1992, 71.4% of the adult population in the county was registered to vote. Of those registered, 77.4% voted in the 1992 general election. Statewide, in 1992, 67% of eligible Georgians were registered to vote. Of those registered, 73% voted in the general election that year.

Pike County: Economic Information

According to the Georgia Department of Labor, the largest non-government employers in the county include: Exploration Surveys Inc., Southern Mills, and Thomaston Cotton Mill.

Between 1990 and 1994, Pike County’s annual unemployment rate was higher than the state’s mark, averaging 6% compared with the state’s average of 5.7%. Nationwide, unemployment for the same period averaged 6.5%.

In 1990, 25% of the county’s workforce was employed within the county while the balance, 75%, commuted out of Pike County for employment.

The county per capita income in 1992 was less than that of the state and was less than that of the nation. Pike County’s per capita income was $15,380, as compared with $18,549 for the state and $20,105 for the United States.

Pike County’s median household income in 1989 was $27,733. This amount was less than the state’s median household income of $29,021 in that same year. Nationally, the median household income in 1989 was $30,056.

In 1993, taxable sales in the county amounted to $2,668 per capita. This amount was less than the $10,636 per capita figure for the state as a whole.

Pike County had 111 business establishments in 1991. In the six-year period of 1986-1991, the number of business establishments in the county increased by 19%. Statewide, the number of business establishments increased by 6% during the same period.

According to the Georgia Department of Revenue’s Net Property and Utility Digest, Pike County’s assessed property value amounted to $106,782,012 in 1992, resulting in a per capita assessed property value of $10,444. At the state level, per capita assessed property value in 1992 equaled $16,112.

The newspaper with the largest daily circulation in Pike County is the Griffin News. The county is considered part of the Atlanta television market.

During 1989, 13% of the county’s population lived below the poverty level, compared with a statewide level of 15% and a U.S. rate of 13%. In addition, 17% of the children under the age of 18 in the county lived in poverty and 19% of the elderly, persons over age 65, lived below the poverty level. Statewide, in 1989, 20% of all children and 20% of the elderly lived in poverty. Nationally, 19% of all children and 11% of the elderly were considered to be impoverished.

Residents of Pike County received total government transfer payments amounting to $2,759 per capita in 1992, compared with $2,708 per capita statewide.

Pike County: Government Information

From 1991 to 1995, Pike County's average own source revenue per capita was $213. This amount was less than the average of $322 per capita reported by other counties of similar size and was less than the overall county average of $326.

Pike County collected an average of $119 per capita in property tax during the past five years. This amount was less than the average of $142 per capita for other similarly sized counties. For the same period, the average per capita amount of county property tax collected in Georgia was $155. On average, property taxes accounted for 56% of the county's own source revenue during the period of 1991 to 1995.

Between 1991 and 1995, Pike County's yearly general operating expenditures averaged $192 per capita. This amount was less than the overall county average of $274 per capita during the same period. The average yearly general operating expenditures per capita for similarly sized counties was $290 between 1991 and 1995.

From 1991 to 1995, Pike County had an average of $2,433 in long-term debt outstanding each year, resulting in an average per capita debt burden of $0. This amount was less than the $84 per capita average among the 135 counties with outstanding debt during the period and less than the $57 per capita average for the 21 similarly sized counties with outstanding debt.

In 1996, Pike was designated as a tier three county under Georgia's Job Tax Credit Program. Under this classification, eligible companies may receive $500 in tax credits for each new job created in the county.

According to the Association County Commissioners of Georgia, Pike County has a 5-member board of commissioners, with the chairman elected by the voters. The county seat of Pike County is Zebulon.